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Gabriel Mateus Bernardo Harrington
Research profile
Currently a final-year PhD student at Keele University based in the Spinal Studies group at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital. Spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord due to trauma, degeneration or disease that results in a temporary or permanent change to its neurological function, recovery from which is highly variable. SCI can lead to devastating consequences for both the physical and mental health of patients, particularly due to the uncertainty of neurological outcomes in the first two weeks post-injury. The variability of recovery has also stymied development of novel therapies as it makes powering clinical trials extremely difficult.
I endeavour to discover novel biomarkers of SCI outcomes, both to minimise this uncertainty and to expand our understanding of the underlying pathology of neurological recovery. I use a combination of modelling historic patient data and proteomic techniques to this end, and have found evidence of a relationship between markers of liver health and SCI recovery. I am currently validating our prior models with external datasets and seeking to carry out a metabolomics experiment to better elucidate the link between the liver and SCI.
The lab rotations in the first year of my PhD also allowed me to greatly develop my skills at the bench. At Loughborough University, I investigated dynamic expression of functionally relevant genetic markers in adherent and non-adherent hydrogels, where I gained experience in 3D tissue culture, hydrogels and PCR. At Nottingham University I studied the effects of alternating current on interfacing wires grown via wireless electrochemistry. I optimised a new technique for fabricating a cellular-electrical bioelectronic system and gained experience in 3D printing, electrodeposition and microscopy. At Keele University focused on a “lung on a chip” model, where I cultured multiple cell types in 3D constructs and compared viability and grow kinetics via cell staining, fluorescent microscopy and cell viability assays. These experiences have given me a highly cross-disciplinary skillset making me a flexible and versatile scientist.
Education
Lancaster University
BSc in Biological Sciences, 2:1
Lancaster, UK
2016
Dissertation: 5-prime genotyping of Enterovirus 71
Keele University
PhD Student
Oswestry, UK
2017 - present (Expected submission 2021)
Thesis: Exploring the serum proteome of spinal cord injured patients: Identifying prognostic biomarkers and new treatment targets
Skills
Experience in:
N/A
N/A
- Statistical learning models
- Proteomics
- Patient data
- Electronic health data
- Use of super computers for modelling
- Submission for ethical approval of research
- Working under the jurisdiction of the Human Tissue Act
- Technical and lay-friendly science communication via oral and poster presentations at conferences, career guidance at local schools and booth presentations at science fairs.
- Highly skilled in R, Bash, Python, LaTeX, SQL, Linux
- Wet lab work including 3D tissue culture, microscopy and research animal handling, PCR
Research Experience
Graduate Research Internship
Bionics Institute
Melbourne, Australia
2016 - 2017
- Began initial work towards building a next-generation cochlea implant
- Established the viability of using a viral vector for optogenetic modification of mouse cochlea
- Gained extensive experience in immunohistochemistry, cryosectioning, imaging, research animal handling
Selected Publications
A Preliminary Cohort Study Assessing Routine Blood Analyte Levels and Neurological Outcome after Spinal Cord Injury
Journal of Neurotrauma 2020 Jan 9
N/A
2020
Sharon J. Brown, Gabriel Mateus Bernardo Harrington, Charlotte H. Hulme, Rachel Morris, Anna Bennett, Wai-Hung Tsang, Aheed Osman, Joy Chowdhury, Naveen Kumar, and Karina T. Wright
Routinely Measured Hematological Markers Can Help to Predict American Spinal Injury Association Impairment Scale Scores after Spinal Cord Injury
Journal of Neurotrauma 2020 Aug 28
Gabriel Mateus Bernardo Harrington
2020
Gabriel Mateus Bernardo Harrington, Paul Cool, Charlotte Hulme, Aheed Osman, Joy Roy Chowdhury, Naveen Kumar, Srinivasa Budithi, and Karina Wright
Oral presentations
Biomarkers for SCI
Postgraduate Conference, 2018
Keele University
2018
Gabriel Mateus Bernardo Harrington
Reproducible Research
Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) Conference, 2019
Manchester University
2019
Gabriel Mateus Bernardo Harrington
Poster presentations
Proteomic analysis of bloods from SCI patients
CDT Joint conference, 2020
Virtual
2020
Gabriel Mateus Bernardo Harrington, Charlotte H. Hulme, Paul Cool, Karina T. Wright